Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Gladstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Gladstone: $2,533 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Gladstone
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Gladstone Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Gladstone

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,533

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Gladstone

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Melbourne and in Gladstone actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,533 in Gladstone.

Melbourne $2,849
Gladstone $2,533

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,459 in Gladstone.

Melbourne $4,274
Gladstone $3,459

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,385 in Gladstone.

Melbourne $5,699
Gladstone $4,385

Living in Melbourne is roughly 12% more expensive than in Gladstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Gladstone 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$17.68 A$25.13

-1.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$81.1 A$115

3.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$11.89 A$16.90

2.35%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.13 A$5.86

-1.45%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.10 A$4.41

2.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.75 A$3.91

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$7.52 A$10.68

27.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$9.28 A$13.19

-11.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.52 A$2.17

-1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.73 A$3.88

8.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.30 A$3.27

16.52%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$4.85 A$6.89

12.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$9.23 A$13.12

16.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.21 A$13.08

9.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$14.50 A$20.60

3.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.83 A$5.45

6.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.12 A$4.43

0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.30 A$4.69

-5.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.67 A$6.64

1.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$2.63 A$3.74

13.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.38 A$3.38

4.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.41 A$3.42

2.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.61 A$2.29

-0.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$41.88 A$59.5

6.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$13.91 A$19.77

-8.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.85 A$6.90

14.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.35 A$7.60

-3.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.83 A$4.02

35.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$84.8 A$121

63.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$4.02 A$5.71

8.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.39 A$1.98

-1.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$44.05 A$62.6

-32.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.27 A$1.80

17.32%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.1K A$41.3K

$26.9K A$38.2K

8.21%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.7K A$36.5K

$24.9K A$35.4K

2.98%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$236 A$335

$205 A$291

15.09%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.01 A$39.80

$27.56 A$39.16

1.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$54.4 A$77.2

5.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$56.1 A$79.7

-13.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$17.63 A$25.05

21.72%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$13.90 A$19.76

27.12%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,461 A$3,497

$1,958 A$2,783

25.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$20.4K A$28.9K

45.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$70.3 A$100.0

15.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$62.5 A$88.8

-21.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$98.6 A$140

21.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$123 A$174

6.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,381 A$1,963

23.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,223 A$1,737

15.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$1,370 A$1,947

155.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,465 A$2,082

72.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,583 A$7,933

42.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$4,980 A$7,076

38.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$5,599 A$7,956

-23.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.25

12.38%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gladstone: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Gladstone

$1.2K 48.3% 13.2% $186

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Gladstone

$367 14.5% 5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Gladstone

$287 11.3% 10.7% $34

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Gladstone

$306 12.1% 2% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Gladstone

$159 6.3% 7.1% $12

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Gladstone

$107 4.2% 35.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Gladstone

$84 3.3% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,381 in Gladstone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gladstone pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $81 in Gladstone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $367 per month, with Gladstone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Gladstone

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

34,703

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Gladstone 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Gladstone

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Melbourne vs Gladstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gladstone wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gladstone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Melbourne. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,381 in Gladstone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,533 in Gladstone – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Gladstone runs roughly 39% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Gladstone is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Gladstone are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gladstone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.